By Gary Geyer

Seventy-six million children-a third of the United States‘ population, were born between 1946 and 1964.

The photography industry, the shoe industry, and the Band Aid industry were among countless others that came along for the ride. The marketplace was bombarded with kids’ products. Hula-Hoops, Slinkies and tricycles were everywhere.

Alien Ancestors

The parents and grandparents of these children came from a different world. They had witnessed World War 1, the Depression and World War 2. They grew up with the threat of poverty hanging over them and they learned to “make do”. That was fine for them but not for their children.

A New World

The post-war boom resulted in thousands of new homes being built around the country and the birth of the suburbs. Unlike their parents, the “boomer” kids slept in their own rooms and played in their own backyards. To their parent’s pleasure, they were overwhelmed with abundance.

Transformations

For five decades, the boomers dominated popular culture. The media didn’t just watch them, it analyzed their every move. Because of their massive numbers, everything they did not only took on a greater importance, it was transformed: When they ate food, the snack, restaurant and supermarket industries emerged. Merely by seeing their doctors, healthcare systems were created. They transformed technology, the investment market, and the fashion and automobile industries. Interpersonal relationships, psychological therapy, and sex roles and practices would never be the same.

Cosmic Occurrence: Part Two

Then, on January 1, 1996 another cosmic occurrence happened: The first baby boomer turned fifty. (As for aging itself, the boomer generation has not accepted it. As a group, they will go kicking and screaming into old age. Their motto: “Hell, no. We won’t go!”)

Living Longer

During the last century, life expectancy has made giant strides. In 1947, it was 47 years; in 2000, it was 76 years. It has been said, the aging of America is the greatest miracle of modern medicine. Today there are 79.6 million Americans past the age of fifty. (Coincidentally, that is the same number of Americans there was in total a century ago.)

The Numbers Grow

Thanks to the baby boomers, by the year 2020 there will be more than one hundred fifteen million Americans over fifty. That is a 50% increase. But wait, there’s more. When baby boomers begin to turn sixty-five in 2010, there will be 39 million Americans over sixty-five. By 2030, this group will number 69 million. By that same year, the eighty-five plus age group will have increased five-fold from what it is today. Incredible!

With Maturity Comes Wealth

But this “mature” group is not just increasing in numbers. They have become the richest by far.. 75% of the nation’s wealth is in their pockets. They buy close to 50% of all luxury cars, almost 75% of all pharmaceuticals, and believe it or not, 80% of luxury travel. In the past decade, the number of mature Americans with incomes over $100,000 a year has more than tripled. With the formation of AARP, they are the country’s largest and most formidable special interest group.

Major Shift

Consider the declining birth rate in the United States (as well as Europe, Japan, and other nations). The size and strength of the youth population will not be the same in this century as it was in the last. Ken Dyctwald, the author of Age Wave, has said, “Whereas the 20th century belonged to the young, the 21st century will be ruled by the old -the new old.”

Are We Ready?

There will be unprecedented social, economic and political challenges that will most definitely occur. Will America be prepared for it? There will be many questions effecting every area of our lives. Fresh thinking and creative actions will be needed to arrive at solutions. <<